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"I was a little scared that I was going to get a grumpy old man," she admits.

She was happy to learn otherwise.

"He's a really nice guy and he's such a family man," Burke says. "He's just like a normal guy who was in politics. But this show isn't about politics, so hopefully they give him a chance."

No surprise, but the 62-year-old former Republican congressman from Texas is nothing like Burke's most recent partner, hunky Gilles Marini...

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"You know what? There's no real pressure," Burke says of working with DeLay. "With someone like Gilles, you need to make him the best you can because he's so damn talented...With Tom, it's different. I can have fun with him and not feel like, 'Did I add enough tricks or did I add enough of this or that?' I work with what he can give me."

Burke, on the other hand, may have to hide some of her own assets. While DeLay told his partner she looked "really beautiful" when she slipped into a DWTS costume for a recent photo shoot, she wasn't feeling it.

"I was like, 'Thanks,' but my boobs were hanging out and I felt really uncomfortable," she says with a laugh. "So we are going for the classy, elegant look. We are not going to bring sex to the dance floor, that's for sure!"

Unfortunately, Burke is a little worried they'll bring silence to the stage.

"It's going to be interesting to see how people respond to him," she says. "I'm just scared that when they announce the names and we walk down the stairs, no one is going to clap. I just hope they give him a chance, because, honestly, he's a really nice guy."

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Click here for the scoop on Dancing With the Stars duo Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy's shocking split.

Your information may be shared with other NBCUniversal businesses and used to better tailor our services and advertising to you. For more details about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy. If you are located outside of the U.S., your information may be transferred to, processed and used in the U.S.